« Visualisation at bowling | Main | Types of job skills and a cartoon from Ikea »
March 06, 2005
Chin Peng sues government
BBC reports that Chin Peng, the former communist leader of Malaysia has gone to court to win the right to return to Malaysia.
This was a controversy last year that I didn't really understand. "Now 80 years old, he wants to see once more the town where he grew up and visit family graves and he says he wants to live out his last days here."
I would say - why not. Reach out to anyone is always the call of being wow. Don't hold crutches that are roddening already anyway.
Don't act like yesteryear, in short.
Or a I wrong in my assumption?
Update
May be I was wrong in this statement. I am not too knowledgeable of the period of emergency in Malaysia (or, at that time, Malaya). I know that Chin Peng was a communist leader and that he fought against the Japanese and the British occupation.
If he committed war atrocities, and has been charged by either the Malaysian government or by an International Tribunal, than so be it. This would put him on the same level as Pol Pot in Cambodia, Stalin in Russia and his Soviet Gulags, Hitler in Germany or Mao Tse- Tung and victims of the Long March.
While I am not a communist, I have nothing against Communists. In fact, I believe there were never any true communist countries in the world (at least in the 20th century), only may be some rudimentary trials that were abandoned, destroyed, victims of traitors or overcome by lack of resources.
In fact, I believe it is good to discuss with Socialists or Communists, since they challenge your thoughts, force you to go back to the roots of your thinking. It is much easier to discuss with those that are of your own opinion.
I still don't exactly know what is the history of Malaysia in that time, but for sure, it is something that I am going to study carefully. I am pretty knowledgeable about the period shortly before 1969 and the history thereafter.
I understand that it is difficult to forgive. I haven't had any tragedy in my family, but I believe it would be tough to cope. All my saying of foregiveness can be seen in this light. But if there is no forgiveness, ever, where do we stop the fighting?
Posted by agreatone at March 6, 2005 06:15 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.alwayswow.com/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/117
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Chin Peng sues government:
» Chin Peng - A matter beyond simplicity or a simple matter of moving on? from Brand New Malaysian
If only life itself was as simple as your WOW factor, Andreas, the world would be a better place for our children. The fact is, it is not. There is no right answer to the Chin Peng equation, simply because... [Read More]
Tracked on March 7, 2005 12:58 AM
Comments
Jon Choo - this is a great comment. Thanks. I agree with you - Marx would turn around in his grave, so fast, he would get dizzy. Mao as well, considering the evolution that China is taking. I think it is tough for a "system" to teach or explain communism - there are so many different forms of it anyway. I guess you are right that political parties in Europe adopted some of the social ideas put forward by Marx and Engels. But, I also think, and that is a very different thinking, that the opportunity of single individuals to purchase shares in companies, to force about changes in companies in Annual Meetings is a great equaliser - may be this is the true socialism? And what about the move towards greater Corporate Social Responsibility? What about pressure from grassroot movements that force companies to improve environmental and social conditions in their operations? I think that these are very social movements - and may be even Karl Marx would have approved those :)
Posted by: Andreas at March 27, 2005 12:17 PM
When I studied Marxism while at university I find the whole notion of communism has been intepretated wrongly especially in Malaysia.
This is probably because the first time Malaysians learn about communism is through their history textbooks about how our country fought them during the emergency era.
Marxism will never work in today's era but I find it liberating that some of Marxist theories has filtered down to liberal and center-left governments in Western Europe.
Still I am pretty sure Karl Marx is turning in his grave of how Stalin and Mao misinterpretated Communism.
Posted by: Jon Choo at March 27, 2005 11:18 AM
the fact is, we will never understand the kind of turmoil that victims (n their kins) of chinpeng's atrocity go through. he did what he did and he deserves it now (i personally feel that it's death that he deserves). being a practical person, i don't see why one man's wish ought to be fulfilled at the expense of thousands of others
Posted by: kimberlycun at March 7, 2005 04:41 PM